Top 12 Taboos to Avoid During Tet That You Should Know

As the old saying goes, it's best to let go of all disagreements and start the new year on a positive note. Traditionally, everyone wishes for a joyful and harmonious Tet celebration with family. Hence, on the first day of the year, all conflicts and arguments within the family are put aside, with everyone choosing patience and restraint. The belief is that any disputes on the first day of the year will bring negativity for the whole year ahead, leading to unhappiness and disrespect among family members.

Therefore, during the Tet holidays, especially on the first day, no one needs to remind each other, but naturally, everyone remains calm and tolerant when conflicts arise. Parents avoid scolding their children, and siblings refrain from arguing. Instead, the focus is on togetherness, kindness, and spreading joy. The most beautiful moments of Tet are when the family shares laughter and warmth as the new year begins.

The first day of the new year, known as the first day of Tet, is a special occasion filled with excitement, as both young and old gather to welcome the arrival of spring. The atmosphere on this day is distinct and solemn, as it is a time for family members to honor their elders, visit relatives, and extend Tet greetings. Everyone hopes for a year filled with prosperity and happiness. However, those in mourning must refrain from wearing mourning attire during the first three days of Tet and avoid visiting others to offer Tet wishes. This is because it is believed that such actions will bring bad luck and sorrow to the host family. Thus, families in mourning typically stay home during Tet, and neighbors and friends understand and show sympathy.

Furthermore, families who experience a loss on the 30th of Tet must complete the funeral rites on the same day, avoiding any mourning rituals that extend into the first day of the year. In cases where someone passes away on the first day, the mourning period might only officially begin on the fourth day of Tet. This is because people believe that mourning during the first day brings sadness and misfortune to others. As a result, attending funerals on the first day is generally avoided. While no one desires such events, the first day of Tet holds great significance and symbolizes joy and a fresh start for the year. For this reason, mourning and funerals are typically avoided on this auspicious day.

At the start of the new year, everyone hopes for a prosperous and joyful year ahead. As such, many people observe various superstitions to avoid any misfortune in the days that follow. One of the key taboos during Tet is breaking or damaging household items.

Breaking objects such as plates, bowls, or glasses is seen as an omen of bad luck. It symbolizes the potential for unpleasant events, signifying separation, breakups, and misfortune in the coming year. Therefore, during Tet, it is important to be extra cautious and mindful of your surroundings to avoid accidentally breaking anything. The goal is to maintain a positive mindset and prepare to welcome the new year with happiness and good fortune.

In Vietnamese tradition, Tet is a time when people wear new clothes to welcome guests and visit others to extend New Year's greetings. Everyone strives to look their best, excitedly anticipating a new year filled with happiness and prosperity. People often choose vibrant, festive outfits such as red or yellow, embracing the spirit of renewal and vitality.

These bright colors symbolize new beginnings, joy, and the hope for a successful year ahead. However, on the first day of Tet, it is considered bad luck to wear white or black. These colors are traditionally associated with mourning and death. Since no one wants to invite misfortune at the start of the year, it is best to avoid wearing these colors on the first day of Tet.

Bathing and washing clothes during Tet are also considered taboo. While it may seem illogical, it is a long-standing tradition to avoid these activities on the first day of the new year. The belief is that washing away your body or clothes will wash away your good fortune, wealth, and wisdom accumulated from the past year.

Especially on the first and second days of Tet, which are believed to be the birthday of the water deity, doing laundry is thought to offend this god and invite misfortune for the year ahead. Excessive interaction with water, like washing clothes, is seen as tempting bad luck.

During Tet, many delicious dishes are prepared each day for offerings, guests, and for the delight of children who get to enjoy plenty of treats. However, our ancestors have always advised against wasting food or leaving leftovers during the holiday. To do so is considered disrespectful to the food, and it is believed to bring hunger and scarcity for the rest of the year. For farmers, this could even mean a poor harvest.

Additionally, it is considered bad luck to stick chopsticks upright into a bowl of rice, as this symbolizes a crisis, delay, or loss in business, as well as an unlucky year ahead. Children should also avoid eating chicken feet, as it is believed to cause shaky hands and lead to poor handwriting, like a chicken scratching around.

Traditionally, it was believed that using needles or doing any sewing work on the first day of the new year would bring hardship throughout the year, especially financial struggles, as the thread’s ups and downs symbolized difficulties ahead. For pregnant women, it was particularly discouraged as it was thought to result in a child born with an unusual appearance.

Sharp objects, such as knives and scissors, are considered to bring bad luck due to their association with negative energy. It was recommended to store these sharp items away in drawers, only keeping what was absolutely necessary. The belief is that sharp objects could sever good fortune, relationships, and even life expectancy, leading to a year of misfortune for the family.

During Tet, it was a common belief that closing the door, especially when it was left shut all day, was considered bad luck. It was thought to symbolize sending guests away and shutting out good fortune for the year ahead. Particularly during Tet, when people visit relatives and neighbors to exchange New Year's greetings and blessings, closing the door was seen as inviting hardship.

The tradition holds that on Tet, the god of wealth, Thần Tài, visits homes to bestow blessings of prosperity. If the door is shut, the god cannot enter, and the family will miss out on the blessings of wealth and good fortune. Therefore, it is considered crucial to keep the door open during this time. If you're going out to visit others, make sure someone stays behind to greet any guests that arrive.

In the past, elders warned against opening cabinets on the first day of the new year for any reason. This act was thought to be similar to sweeping the house or taking out the trash — it was believed that opening the cabinet would cause good fortune and wealth to flow out of the home. It was said that money was often stored in cabinets, and opening them was likened to spending money nonstop. To spend or lose money on the first day of the year was considered an omen of bad luck, leading to financial struggles and loss of prosperity.

As a result, many families would prepare all their clothing and supplies for the new year in advance to avoid opening cabinets on the first day. The superstition of losing wealth and good fortune was so strong that people were very careful not to open any cabinet or drawer on New Year's Day.

In Vietnam, it is a common tradition to clean the house thoroughly before the Lunar New Year's Eve, preparing to welcome the new year with a tidy and refreshed home. The act of sweeping away dirt and trash symbolizes getting rid of bad luck and making space for good fortune to enter the home in the new year.

However, an old belief warns against sweeping or throwing out the trash on the first day of the new year, as it is thought to drive away prosperity. This superstition is tied to a folk tale: A wealthy merchant was given a maid named Như Nguyệt by the Water God. After being punished on New Year's Day, Như Nguyệt turned into trash, and when the merchant unknowingly discarded it, he lost all his wealth and fell back into poverty.

Thus, sweeping or taking out the trash on New Year's Day is believed to send away the God of Wealth and squander all the fortune of the coming year. However, in modern times, many families still clean the house but do so more carefully, gathering trash into a corner and waiting until the next day to dispose of it, avoiding the bad luck associated with taking out the trash on the first day.

Giving away water or fire has long been considered a taboo during the New Year period in Vietnamese tradition. Both water and fire symbolize good fortune and prosperity, so giving them away is seen as sending away the blessings and positive energy that could be yours in the coming year.

Fire, represented by the colors red and yellow, is associated with hope, luck, and success. Offering fire to others is believed to be like sharing your own luck and good fortune.

Water, on the other hand, symbolizes abundance, growth, and prosperity. In the New Year, people often wish each other phrases like "may money flow in like water", so giving away water on the first day of the year is considered bad luck, as it is seen as losing your own fortune.

The first days of the year are a time to welcome wealth and prosperity into your home, as people hope for good things to come. For this reason, it is considered inappropriate to borrow money, belongings, or anything else on these days.

The ancient belief is that borrowing at the start of the year will lead to financial hardship and a life filled with shortages and struggles throughout the rest of the year. On the other hand, lending money or resources will cause your own wealth to be dispersed, and you may lose the good fortune that was meant for you.